Immigration uncertainty causes anxiety in western Kansas

[struggle4progress]

BY JONATHAN SHORMAN
OCTOBER 01, 2017 10:00 AM

The federal fight against illegal immigration – intensified by President Donald Trump’s decision to end a program shielding those brought here illegally as children – is raising fears among some about the availability of workers in western Kansas.

State Sen. John Doll, R-Garden City, said the possible end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program "scares the heck out of me."

"Without those workers, the Dreamers, we’re going to be in dire straits," Doll said.

Undocumented immigrants have long supplied labor in Kansas agriculture. But the pool of available workers began shrinking a few years ago amid drought and increased immigration enforcement by former President Barack Obama, said Joe Jury, a farm and feedlot owner southeast of Garden City ...

http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article176222476.html

[LonePirate]

1. Sounds like State Sen. Doll needs to rethink his priorities and party affiliation.

Also, this article shows how the state and national parties are failing to register people and turn out the vote. The article states that Finney County, where Garden City is, has a population which is 50% Hispanic but the county is represented in the state Senate by a Republican.

[lapfog_1]

2. the article refers to a feedlot operator

near Garden City.

Most of the agriculture in Western Kansas is wheat. This is highly mechanized with seasonal harvesting done by combine operators who often start in Canada and move south to texas harvesting field after field using a fleet of combines and trucks (and often only as many people as is takes to drive those).

If you have ever driven past a feedlot operation (there are a couple of very big ones on I-5 in CA) you will understand why it would be near impossible to get any non-illegal person to work there... for almost any wage they could pay.